Mockingjay

Mockingjay is the third and final book of the Hunger Games Trilogy.  Written by Suzanne Collins, it follows Katniss Everdeen through the final conflict with the evil and cruel Capitol government and their leader, President Snow. Snow has treated the citizens of the surrounding districts like slaves who exist purely for the benefit and entertainment of the rich, privileged and undeserving citizens who live in the Capitol district.  The first two books in this series are Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  As the inhabitants of the twelve districts fight for their freedom, there are many battle scenes with plenty of violence.  Mockingjay seems to have more graphic violence scenes than the other two books.   The most violent scenes in Mockingjay show torture, human bodies exploding, ripped-off limbs and murder of children.   Mockingjay isn’t only about war and violence; it also contains many examples of the characters exhibiting love, friendship, loyalty and personal integrity. All three books have lots of action with surprising twists and turns,

If you are a fan of Suzanne Collins, there is more to entice you. She has also written a series of fantasy books:  Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, and Gregor and the Code of Claw.  She has even written several picture books: Year of the Jungle and When Charlie McButton Lost Power.  You can find information about these books by following this link.  http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Main Characters:

·         Katniss Everdeen is the heroine of all three Hunger Games books.  She is famous for winning the Hunger Games, leading the fight against the cruel Capitol government, and being the Mockingjay for the rebellion.

·         Peeta Mellark is also famous for winning the hunger games.  He is in love with Katniss and is a major player in the book’s conflicts.

·         Gale Hawthorne is Katniss’s oldest friend and her hunting and battle partner who is also in love with her.

·         Primrose Everdeen is Katniss’s younger sister.  She has medical skills and wants to be a doctor.

·         Plutarch Heavensbee  is the former head gamesmaker at the Capitol. He has joined the rebellion; he tries to be a source of support and information to Katniss.

·         Haymitch Abernethy is teacher to Katniss and Peeta, but he is an alcoholic, and thus is not to be trusted or depended upon.

·         President Alma Coin is the leader of the rebellion who has desires to be in control after the Capitol is defeated.

·         President Snow is the cruel leader of the Capitol District; he controls operations against the rebels.        

Mockingjay, as with the first two books takes place in Panem where democracy does not exist.  Panem is divided into thirteen districts with the Capitol district being home to the wealthy and privileged people who rely on the other twelve districts to provide food and resources for them.  Little is left for the providers of the food and resources to live on.  People of the twelve starving districts are rebelling against the Capitol and its evil leader, President Snow.  The twelve districts do not always work together to fight the Capitol; they do not trust each other.

Mockingjay begins with a look at Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of the story and all that she, her family and friends have lost because of President Snow, the Capitol District, and the Hunger Games which were fought at Snow’s command.   Katniss is convinced to become the Mockingjay, a symbol of the rebellion to be filmed and electronically broadcast to the District’s citizens.  It is hoped that she will be a centralizing leader that will persuade the District’s citizens to join together in the rebellion. Although Katniss was supposed to be just a public symbol of the rebels, she in an integral part of the brutal fighting.

The story covers Katniss’ struggles to reach the Capitol District and President Snow’s palace in order to overthrow the notorious leader.  Katniss is strongly motivated by her hatred of Snow and how he has treated the citizens of the twelve districts; she hates that her home has been destroyed and her family and friends left with nothing.  Most of all, she despises Snow for his treatment of her close friend, Peeta who has been tortured and mentally abused after his capture by the Capitol District.  Katniss is determined to rescue Peeta; she also demands that she be the one to execute Snow. She fights against the cruel monsters and weapons that Snow has created, tries to help Peeta return to his former state of mind when he loved her, and makes loyal friendships with others who want peace and freedom to return to Panem.

Strange new technologies, that can create all kinds of horrors, fill the battle scenes in the streets of the Capitol District as Katniss attempts to reach Snow’s palace.  Some of the strangest weapons were:   a bow that recognizes its owner’s voice with explosive tipped arrows, a Meat Grinder that chews everything in its path to dust, and pods filled with all kinds of objects that lead to capture or death for the rebels.  Examples of what some of the pods contained were: poisonous gas, sprays of gunfire, flesh eating rats, bombs, nets with barbs sticking from its wires, hordes of wolf, monkey or reptilian mutts who are animals in human form that pursue their prey relentlessly.  The Capitol District even developed a noxious, black, tar-like substance that covered the streets and buildings in an attempt to slow the rebels.  It is described on page 278 of Mockingjay:  “Black, oily matter sprouts like a geyser from the street, billowing between the buildings creating an impenetrable wall of blackness.  It seems to be neither liquid nor gas, mechanical nor natural.  Surely, it’s lethal!”

The rebels are almost completely defeated physically and mentally by the time they reach President Snow’s palace.  But there are several surprising twists and turns yet to come before the final confrontations are over.  You may be surprised by who the actual winners are.

One of the themes of Mockingjay is how futile and pointless war is.  The destruction, death and loss of loved ones are not worth what is gained by fighting a war. All that is lost during the war leaves little to be enjoyed, even by the victor.  Another theme that runs through the book is that you never know who to trust for sure.  People who you thought could be trusted and follow a true course may have hidden goals that don’t follow what they portray on the surface.  Following this theme allows the reader to be really surprised by turn of events.  You think you know where the story is headed but you will be surprised.  

The major conflict in Mockingjay is the continued effort by rebel forces to overthrow the selfish and cruel Capitol government and its leaders.  There are also conflicts amongst the 12 districts because         each is not sure where the other districts stand in the fight to gain some control over their lives.  There are numerous conflicts between characters that are even fighting on the same side against the government because of love triangle conflicts or conflicts about who is going to lead or control the fight or the country after the fighting is over.

Whether the rebels will win the war over the Capitol government and gain some freedom, resources and control of their own lives is one of the central ideas of this book.  Another central idea running through the book is who will Katniss choose as a life partner, Peeta, Gale, or no one.  They both love her and she is not sure that she wants to be with anyone.

This book is recommended to readers who love action and adventure.  It is a fantasy set in a dystopian future with abused citizens rebelling against an evil power.  There is a lot of vividly described violence and suffering in this book.   If you don’t like to read about violent battle scenes with abuse, torture, and killing of innocent people in the process of building a story, this is not the book for you.  It is a very fast paced book with battle scenes that will amaze you with descriptions of high-tech weapons used in the battles and in awe at the amount of death, destruction and suffering that humans can inflict on each other in order to achieve their goals. It is definitely a book that will keep you turning pages, even when you should be doing your homework. 

Book Review by Samuel J.